Movies are such a
great teaching tool for any parent to use to engage their child in
meaningful and pertinent conversations. We believe that movies are
the parables of this generation. Where Jesus used parables (or stories) to
convey a larger meaning to His followers in a way they would
understand, movies can be used to convey a larger meaning to our
children using a medium that they find interesting, exciting, and
thought-provoking. Teaching our children to be critical thinkers is
something that we value highly and we find that watching movies in
short snip-its and then discussing the content has been something
that has drastically increased our kids' ability to think and
draw conclusions, ask questions, and come to an understanding of some
very deep concepts.
We typically
choose a movie or series to watch during our lunch break. Sitting
down at the table and eating helps keep the children in one spot and
focused. We watch about 20 to 30 minutes of the movie and then we
pause it (until the next day) and discuss what we've watched. This
allows the children to hone in one specific topics that can often be
lost if you watch a full-length film and try to remember all the
little teaching gems at the end. More often than not, we pause the
movie several times during lunch as well, explaining concepts and
asking questions along the way. It has become a treasured time during
our day (especially since Daddy comes home for lunch and participates
with us) and the children are learning some amazing life lessons. You
may want to use a meal time for movie time or you may want to do it a
few times a week after breakfast or before bed. Whatever works best
for your family! So far we have done “learning through movies”
with Remember the Titans, Harry Potter (all of them), The Lord of
the Rings Trilogy, and we are currently on The Bible
series.
To
illustrate my point, I'd like to share a short clip with you that we
watched with our children and then give you an example of what we
discussed afterward. In this clip from, The Lord of The Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring, we see the Secret Council of Lord Elrond (if
you don't know anything about LOTR I apologize. You should watch
them, you're missing out!). Lord Elrond has
called together some of the greatest warriors, kings, wizards, and
hobbits of Middle Earth to see what should be done with the One Ring
(it's the Ring of Power which is basically pure evil). Once they
decide that it should be taken to Mordor (where it was created in
order to destroy it), Lord Elrond asks who will take it.
After
much arguing among the other members of the Council, Frodo stands up
and says “I will take it! I will take it! I will take the Ring to
Mordor!” Frodo did not focus on his shortcomings (his small size
and lack of experience) but rather was willing to be sent no matter
the cost. Read Isaiah 6:8. How is
Frodo's willingness to take the Ring to Mordor similar to Isaiah in
the verse we just read? Sometimes God calls
us to take a similar leap of faith. God calls us to be servant
leaders, missionaries, teachers, preachers, and witnesses. Many
missionaries reminisce on how God called on them to do something very
important, and they knew that God wanted to send them when they were
as young as 5 years old! God calls us to “Big Picture” plans like
this and He also asks us to do little things, like tell someone at
school about Jesus or start eating lunch with that one kid that no
one talks to. Is God calling you to do
something? How will you respond to Him?
We also see Gimli tried to
destroy the Ring with his ax but the ax shattered. Gimli relied on
his own strength to to try accomplish this great task. Just like the
ax and the Ring, there is a spiritual battle that we engage in
everyday and we must not put our faith in our own strength. Read
Ephesians 6:11. What does God's Word say to use in spiritual warfare
against the enemy? God
gives us armor, spiritual armor, to help us defeat the enemy and his
forces of evil. We must be prepared each day for the spiritual battle
that lies ahead.
We
also learn that Aragorn is actually the rightful King of Gondor, but
he's been hiding because he's afraid that he may not have what it
takes to overcome the weakness in his bloodline. Sins of the past can
become a heavy burden that weigh Christians down and make us afraid
to answer God's call. But God forgives us of our sins and calls us to
have courage to do what is right, “Be
strong and of good courage; do not be afraid or dismayed, for the
LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
There are so many AMAZING life lessons and teachable moments in these great movies that I mentioned above and so many more. We've been able to discuss so many things: friendship, perseverance, good vs. evil, temptation, Satan, addiction, prejudice, stewardship, heroic sacrifice, sovereignty, romantic love, spiritual warfare, teamwork, servant leadership, embracing a calling, coping with separation and loss, resurrection, redemption, salvation, standing for what's right, loyalty and betrayal, marriage, divorce, adultery, sin and consequences, history, missionaries, the Church, what God values, the life of Jesus, Old Testament prophets, overcoming adversity, and so much more!! It's really quite impressive. The Bible series has been awesome and we've been able to teach the kids SO MUCH about the Bible in just a few days. They are absorbing so much and the absolutely love it. They can't wait 'till the next day to watch more. I love seeing them so excited about learning. And if movies help them do that, I am all for it!! I think we'll do the Chronicles of Narnia series next :)
Don't
be afraid to try something new. Movies are not the enemy. If you need
some help finding a movie to start with, send me a message! I'd love
to help. You can also check out www.pluggedin.com
to both screen your movies for content (we do this with all the
movies we watch) and also you can find their “Movie Nights” that
are mini-studies based on specific movies. They give you a pdf
printout to go with your movie and aid in your discussions. These are
great starter tools (although I wouldn't stick just to the pdf
because you may see something even more in depth that you want to
discuss, which is totally fine!). But definitely great conversation
starters. Oh, and please note that pluggedin is anti-Harry Potter. I
am totally pro-Harry Potter so we don't agree on everything. But for
the most part, it's a good place to start if you're really having a
hard time picking out conversation pieces.
So
there you have it. Learning through movies... now go pop some popcorn
:)
Bye
for now,
Kristina
